At 91, Carlton T. Brooks still going strong
Carlton T. Brooks said as a young man he faced the big decision of figuring out how to make a living.
City center vision
NH Foundation looks to new coliseum to spur major redevelopment in Downtown
How do you build a $220 million coliseum for Richmond without putting up any money?
Jones to revive effort for city control over Confederate statues
Richmond City Councilman Michael J. Jones is going to try again to get City Council support for removing state control of the Confederate statues that litter Richmond’s landscape.
Sacred Ground project wins $75,000 national grant for slavery memorial park
A group supporting development of a memorial park in Shockoe Bottom to recall the crucial role this area of Richmond played in the slave trade has won a $75,000 grant from a national trust to support its work.
New Fulton program helps youths develop skills for jobs, money
As a full-time city recreation specialist, Wyatt Kingston sees plenty of Richmond youths who need and want to make money to help their families.
Sen. Stanley, Mayor Stoney spar over to school maintenance
Maintenance of public school buildings is your responsibility, Mr. Mayor.
Historic Resources officials make way for Intermediate Terminal building demolition
The state Department of Historic Resources has upheld City Hall’s view that a landmark warehouse in the city’s East End, once a major source of jobs for African-Americans, has no historical value and can be demolished to make way for the modern bistro and restaurant that Stone Brewing Co. wants to build.
GRTC learns good news, bad news
The start of the Pulse bus rapid transit system and the overhaul of bus routes appears to be a good news-bad news story for GRTC.
Guest preacher says he was stiffed by South Side church
The Rev. Ernest Blue Jr. of Richmond is often called to be a guest preacher.
Henrico man awarded patent for golf cart cover
Golf carts have been part of John Houze Jr.’s life for decades.
Senator questions cuts in schools’ maintenance funds
The leader of a state Senate subcommittee that is taking a look at school building needs across Virginia wants to know whether Richmond’s decision to shrink spending on routine school maintenance by millions of dollars violates a U.S. Supreme Court decision and the state Constitution.
Sickle cell advocate wins fight for high-dose opioids
George H. Carter appears to have won his fight to ensure that people like himself who suffer from sickle cell disease can get the high dosages of opioids needed to control the excruciating pain.
Agency questions city’s plan to destroy historic warehouse
The fate of a landmark warehouse in the East End that was supposed to be transformed into Stone Brewing’s destination bistro and beer garden remains in limbo.
New development, residents behind city’s housing value jump
The value of property is climbing in Richmond, most notably in areas such as Church Hill, Blackwell and Highland Park that were once stigmatized as less desirable because they were predominantly African-American and low income.
Historic cemetery’s cleanup has drawn nearly 8,000 volunteer visits
The Friends of East End Cemetery are marking the five-year anniversary of cleaning up and restoring the historic African-American burial ground in Eastern Henrico County.
Davis must go
Commission recommends removing Confederate president’s statue, but not others
Baltimore, New Orleans, Louisville, Ky., and even Memphis, Tenn., have gotten rid of their statues of racist Confederate traitors who fought to keep black people enslaved. So have 26 other cities.
Black Business Alliance calls for inclusion in city-supported projects
A. Hugo “Al” Bowers Sr. is leading a fresh charge to ensure that black-owned businesses gain a significant share of work on construction projects that the city pays for or infuses with taxpayer support.
School funding questions remain as City Charter change takes effect July 1
“I believe we have six months from July 1 to respond to the charge embedded in the charter change. Rest assured, we will do so. When we have something definitive to say, we will say it.” That was the official administration response to a Free Press query as to how Mayor Levar M. Stoney would respond to a change to the City Charter regarding school improvement that goes into effect Sunday, July 1.
Federal court orders redrawing of state House districts by Oct. 30
African-American voters were illegally packed into 12 House of Delegate districts in Richmond and Hampton Roads, a panel of federal judges ruled Tuesday.
City Council members file legislation to halt bike lanes in North Side
Two City Council members want to kill City Hall plans to turn one travel lane on both sides of Brook Road over to bicycles between Azalea Avenue and Charity Street.
Work to begin in Jackson Ward on Fay Towers replacement
Heavy machinery will soon start moving into a block of Jackson Ward where 154 apartments are to rise over the next year or so, according to Orlando C. Artze, interim director of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
Lydia M. Jiggetts, prayer warrior and activist, dies at 70
Dr. Lydia Mercedes Jiggetts sought to help people in multiple ways. In the 1970s, she was part of a team of activists that helped force Richmond area radio and television stations to end their whites-only employment policies and open their doors to African-American talent.
Pulse of the city
Ridership, confusion up as GRTC’s new bus rapid transit line starts
Mayor Levar M. Stoney calls it “progress” and “one of the most exciting and progressive public transportation projects in Richmond history.”
Broken promise?
City seeks bids only for 3 new schools
Earlier this year, Mayor Levar M. Stoney stumped to raise $150 million to help replace obsolete and decaying schools.
City plans public awareness campaign about trash fee exemption
Christine Page rents a house in the 1700 block of North 19th Street, and her monthly utility bill has always included $23.79 for trash and recycling collection. She was surprised to learn that she could apply to the city to remove the fee from the bill without any impact on her service.
UR chooses Black Lives Matter memoir for One Book, One Richmond program
“When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir” will be required reading for University of Richmond students for the 2018-19 academic year, it has been announced.
New city courthouse policy puts phones on hold
James Williams said he forgot he was carrying his cell phone last week when he went to the Marsh General District Court in South Side to check court records for a friend.
Looking for a job?
New program for graduating seniors may help
A new program is working to steer the area high school seniors toward health care careers.
Punked
Unrealistic assumptions and overly rosy income forecasts. Those were among the shaky financial footings on which the Leigh Street training camp for the Washington NFL team was built, according a new report from the office of City Auditor Louis G. Lassiter.
Historic city credit union seeks new growth
Amid the recovery from the Great Depression, 10 African-American Richmond educators organized a new credit union for teachers in the city that would provide the personal touch and financial services then largely unavailable to them at most banks in segregated Richmond.
$3.4B:City Council approves 2018-2020 spending plan
Richmond high school students will be able to take unlimited free rides on GRTC buses beginning July 1. Organized activities for city youths also will be beefed up starting in July, with city recreation centers operating longer hours and after-school programs at elementary and middle schools being upgraded.
School Board member proposes more money for maintenance
A Richmond School Board member hopes his colleagues will agree to a plan that could shift a few more dollars to address a long list of school maintenance needs.
Bus stop creates problems before it starts
A new bus stop that will serve 60 to 70 buses a day near the Boulevard is creating an uproar even before it goes into operation in late June as part of GRTC’s overhaul of its transit network.
City resident awaits word on trash fees
That has been City Hall’s response to Free Press reports about its failure to relieve qualifying Richmond residents of the $23.79 a month cost for trash collection and recycling service.
City Council poised to scrap residency requirement for top officials
For nearly three decades, City Hall executives have been required to move into the city within a year of being hired.
Room to grow
Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School seeks to expand with help from city
A private Episcopal school in the East End that currently offers a tuition-free education to l08 children mostly from low-income families living in public housing is working with the city to buy an acre of land for its first big expansion.
Franklin Street travel lanes being revamped for bikes, ‘floating parking’
Congestion warning: Franklin Street in Downtown is about to shrink to one lane of traffic except during the morning rush hour from 6 to 9 a.m., when two travel lanes will be open.
New teen career, college center planned by Boys & Girls Clubs
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond is moving forward to develop a new $5 million teen center in the East End with a focus on providing career and college guidance for 15- to 18-year-olds.
No more money for school maintenance
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras is alarmed. He just found out that, as of March 31, RPS has only $881,143 left through June 30 to spend on school maintenance needs.
Pulse to start service June 24
That’s the day GRTC will launch the biggest overhaul of bus service in generations, one the company hopes that regular riders will cheer and that will bring new people to use public transit.
City developing policy, procedure for admissions tax
The director of the Richmond Finance Department will not seek legislation to reform the assessment and collection of admissions taxes.
Warning: Smoking may cause eviction
New smoke-free policy takes effect Aug.1 for all RRHA properties, including 4,000 public housing units in city
Residents of public housing in Richmond are facing a ban on smoking in three months.
City doesn’t publicize exemption from trash fees for elderly, disabled renters
City Hall is quietly blocking elderly and disabled renters from receiving free trash and recycling services, the Free Press has learned — a benefit the city has offered for nearly 14 years and which currently is worth $23.79 a month or $285.48 a year.
Herring’s new policy seeks to eliminate cash bond system
Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring is stepping up his efforts to eliminate the cash bond system that forces people to stay in jail while awaiting trial because they cannot afford to put up the money or property for bail or to pay the fee of a bail bonding company willing to do it.
City eliminates $240,000 admissions tax debt of Richmond Jazz Festival
Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s administration has quietly eliminated the estimated $240,000 in admissions taxes that the popular Richmond Jazz Festival owed the city, three highly placed sources have told the Free Press.
80¢ cigarette tax goes up in smoke at City Council
Richmond smokers will not have to pay an extra 80 cents for a pack of cigarette. After hearing from more than 50 speakers and nearly an hour of debate, Richmond City Council, with a 6-3 vote, killed a proposal to impose a city tax on cigarettes that Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District, had spearheaded.
Pulse driving businesses down
Transit construction has hurt Downtown establishments
By Jeremy M. Lazarus Richmond City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray has been getting an earful from restaurants and businesses along Broad Street that have seen customer numbers fall and revenues shrink during the 20-month construction of Pulse, GRTC’s new bus rapid transit system
Henrico hotel pays workers with free lodging
An aging hotel in Henrico County has found a way to virtually eliminate wages. Instead of money, employees get a room in exchange for working 40 hours a week checking in guests, doing maintenance work, cleaning rooms or filling other needed roles.
Can Richmond afford 4 planned new schools?
One unanswered question hovers as the Richmond School Board and schools Superintendent Jason Kamras push the city to seek bids for new buildings to replace four aging schools: Can the city afford them?
Health systems securing naming rights to GRTC’s Pulse
Richmond area taxpayers apparently will not have to spend as much to subsidize rides on GRTC’s new bus rapid transit service, also known as Pulse, thanks to two area health care giants, VCU Health System and Bon Secours Richmond Health System.
